Product Description

By Abdur-Razzaq Lubis & Khoo Salma Nasution.

Preface by Dato’ Dr Khoo Kay Kim.

The transformation of Perak, Malaysia, in the late 19th century was an unlikely collaboration between the Malay Sultans, their British advisers and dynamic migrant groups, brought together by the ‘tin rush’. Mandailing migrants from northwestern Sumatra, Indonesia, were among the ‘foreign Malays’ who played a key role in the new administration and socio-economic development of Perak State. This story focusses on Raja Bilah, who succeeded the legendary Raja Asal as the undisputed leader of the Mandailings. As a British-appointed penghulu, revenue-collector and peace-keeper, Raja Bilah harnessed the energies of Chinese miners as well as Sumatran migrants to make Papan the leading tin-mining town of its day.

“… An unexpectedly rich and interesting account of an important period in Malay history …a rare indigenous viewpoint of events…” Dr Leonard Y. Andaya, StarMag

“In reading this material, the substance of which is skillfully worked into the main text, one has a vivid impression of the lives and personalities of Raja Bilah and others.”J.M. Gullick, MBRAS Volume LXXVII

About the Authors

Khoo Salma Nasution is a writer, publisher and heritage advocate. Her recent publications include Heritage Houses of Penang (2009) and Sun Yat Sen in Penang (2008). Abdur-Razzaq Lubis (also known by his Mandailing name, Namora Sende Loebis) is an author and activist who writes on the environment, and the social history and cultural heritage of Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Sumatra, Indonesia. His recent publications include Perak Postcards: 1890s-1940s (2010), Kinta Valley: Pioneering Malaysia’s Modern Development(2005) and Raja Bilah and the Mandailings in Perak: 1875-1911 (2003).